Detection and mitigation of ingress interference within communication links

ABSTRACT

A system and process that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, an interference monitor configured to detect occurrences of unintended signals within a communications link. A communications link may carry a down-converted format of a satellite signal from an earth terminal to an integrated receiver and decoder for further network distribution. Depending upon the nature of any such detected unintended signals, the communications link can be “swapped out” for a redundant communications link carrying a down-converted format of the same satellite signal obtained by way of a redundant earth terminal. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/479,887, filed Sep. 8, 2014, which is aContinuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/487,408, filed Jun. 4, 2012. The contents of the foregoing are herebyincorporated by reference into this application as if set forth hereinin full.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates generally to satellite communications andmore specifically to failover operation of redundant elements of asatellite communication system.

BACKGROUND

Satellite earth terminals receive downlink streams from one or moresatellite transponders, for example, operating in the C/Ku frequencybands. High bandwidth signals, such as multimedia signals, are generallyreceived from a satellite using a high gain antenna. An example of suchan antenna includes a dish reflector directing energy into a feed horn.The received broadcast signals, or streams, are generally groupedaccording to satellite transponders, with each transponder assigned arespective non-overlapping portion of the spectrum, or bandwidth. Thereceived satellite signals are amplified and down converted, forexample, by a device commonly referred to as an LNB—a combined Low NoiseAmplifier (LNA) and block down converter. The LNB is typically locatedas close as possible to the satellite feed horn, down converting a groupof transponder signals (e.g., sixteen) to an intermediate frequency. Itis common in video broadcast applications for the intermediate frequencyto be located within a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum referredto as L-band.

L-band represents a crowded region of the electromagnetic spectrum,supporting many activities, such as aeronautical radio-navigation, radioastronomy and maritime mobile satellite. Use of this region of spectrum,as described herein, related to video broadcast satellite applications,is not considered by frequency management organizations, such as theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) in the allocation of authorizedusers. Use of the L-band by video broadcast satellite users, isconsidered unnecessary, as they are referred to as “wired carriers.”Although over-the-air signals are received in the C and Ku bands, theL-band intermediate frequency signals are transported from the LNB usingcables or waveguides. Since the intermediate-frequency signals areprotected from exposure to the ambient electromagnetic environment, itis presumed that sufficient protection from any radiated signals in thesame frequency band will be provided by the wired carrier's cable orwaveguide shielding. Unfortunately, problems can occur due to breachesin the cable or waveguide. Such breaches may result from corrosion,loose interconnections or water ingress. Such conditions left untreatedwould allow for ingress of ambient electromagnetic energy, which could,depending upon such features as amplitude, frequency and modulation,interfere with operation of the video broadcast satellite receiversystem.

Fortunately, most of authorized L-band uses are relatively low power,such that any unwanted interference that happens to fall within theL-band may not result in perceptible interference to the video broadcastsystem. It may go undetected altogether. However, as utilization of theelectromagnetic spectrum grows, it is likely that new applications mayoperate at higher levels. In particular, one potential application is 4Gwireless broadband communications network that may operate terrestrialcommunications within the L-band (e.g., at 1525 and 1559 MHz). Suchoperations would likely operate at relatively high power, such thatinterference would result in perceptible interference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIGS. 1-2 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovide media services;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal forinteracting with the communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication deviceutilized in the communication systems of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a satellite receiver systemutilized in FIG. 1, that switches out redundant components upon detectedinterference;

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative spectrum of sampled electromagneticenergy within an intermediate frequency communication link of thesatellite receiver utilized in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative block diagram of an interference monitorutilized in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method operating inportions of the systems described in FIGS. 1-7; and

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments of a system and process for detecting occurrences ofunintended signals coupling into a communications link carrying adown-converted satellite signal from an earth terminal. Depending uponthe nature of any such detected unintended signals, the communicationslink can be “swapped” out for a redundant communications link carrying adown-converted format of the same satellite signal obtained from aredundant earth terminal. Other embodiments are contemplated by thesubject disclosure.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a process, includingreceiving, by a system including at least one processor, by way of afirst communications link, a down-converted satellite signal occupying aportion of an intermediate-frequency bandwidth. The down-convertedsatellite signal is provided by the system to a decoder that decodes thedown-converted satellite signal resulting in a decoded broadcast signalfor distribution through a multimedia distribution network. A redundantdown-converted satellite signal is received by the system, by way of asecond communications link. The redundant down-converted satellitesignal occupies a portion of the intermediate-frequency bandwidth. Anunintended signal is detected, by the system, within theintermediate-frequency bandwidth of the first communications link. Alikelihood of interference with unintended signal is determined, by thesystem, for the received broadcast signal. Upon detecting the likelihoodof interference exceeding a threshold, the down-converted satellitesignal is substituted, by the system, at the receiver with the redundantdown-converted satellite signal.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a system, including amemory storing computer instructions; and a processor coupled to thememory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the computerinstructions, performs operations including receiving, by a systemincluding at least one processor, by way of a first communications link,a down-converted satellite signal occupying a portion of anintermediate-frequency bandwidth. The down-converted satellite signal isprovided by the system to a decoder that decodes the down-convertedsatellite signal resulting in a decoded broadcast signal fordistribution through a multimedia distribution network. A redundantdown-converted satellite signal is received by the system, by way of asecond communications link. The redundant down-converted satellitesignal occupies a portion of the intermediate-frequency bandwidth. Anunintended signal is detected, by the system, within theintermediate-frequency bandwidth of the first communications link. Alikelihood of interference with unintended signal is determined, by thesystem, for the received broadcast signal. Upon detecting the likelihoodof interference exceeding a threshold, the down-converted satellitesignal is substituted, by the system, at the receiver with the redundantdown-converted satellite signal.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructionswhich, responsive to being executed by at least one processor, cause theat least one processor to perform operations comprising detecting, by asystem including at least one processor, an unintended signal within acommunication link of a satellite receiver. Determining likelihood ofinterference from the unintended signal that causes signal distortion atend user equipment receiving a signal conveyed by the communication linkof the satellite receiver. Responsive to detecting that a likelihood ofinterference exceeds a threshold, a communications link of a satellitereceiver is substituted with a redundant communications link of thesatellite receiver, conveying the same signal as the communication link.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a first communicationsystem 100 for delivering media content. The communication system 100can represent an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) media system. TheIPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO) 110 with atleast one super headend office server (SHS) 111 which receives mediacontent from satellite 113 and/or terrestrial communication systems. Thesatellite communication system 113 can include one or more of thefeatures disclosed herein. In the present context, media content canrepresent, for example, audio content, moving image content such as 2Dor 3D videos, video games, virtual reality content, still image content,and combinations thereof. The SHS server 111 can forward packetsassociated with the media content to one or more video head-end servers(VHS) 114 via a network of video head-end offices (VHO) 112 according toa common multicast communication protocol.

The VHS 114 can distribute multimedia broadcast content via an accessnetwork 118 to commercial and/or residential buildings 102 housing agateway 104 (such as a residential or commercial gateway). The accessnetwork 118 can represent a group of digital subscriber line accessmultiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a service areainterface that provide broadband services over fiber optical links orcopper twisted pairs 119 to buildings 102. The gateway 104 can usecommon communication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 106 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 108 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 107 (such as aninfrared or RF remote controller).

The gateway 104, the media processors 106, and media devices 108 canutilize tethered communication technologies (such as coaxial, powerlineor phone line wiring) or can operate over a wireless access protocolsuch as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth, Zigbee, or other present ornext generation local or personal area wireless network technologies. Byway of these interfaces, unicast communications can also be invokedbetween the media processors 106 and subsystems of the IPTV media systemfor services such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

A satellite broadcast television system 129 can be used also in themedia system of FIG. 1. The satellite broadcast television system can beoverlaid, operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 100. In thisembodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 115 carrying mediacontent can be received by a satellite dish receiver 131 coupled to thebuilding 102. Modulated signals received by the satellite dish receiver131 can be transferred to the media processors 106 for demodulating,decoding, encoding, and/or distributing broadcast channels to the mediadevices 108. The media processors 106 can be equipped with a broadbandport to the ISP network 132 to enable interactive services such as VoDand EPG as described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital cable broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 133 can be overlaid,operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system and/or the satelliteTV system as another representative embodiment of communication system100. In this embodiment, the cable TV system 133 can also provideInternet, telephony, and interactive media services.

It is contemplated that the subject disclosure can apply to otherpresent or next generation over-the-air and/or landline media contentservices system.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 130, a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing web portal services over an Internet ServiceProvider (ISP) network 132 to wireline media devices 108 or wirelesscommunication devices 116.

Communication system 100 can also provide for all or a portion of thecomputing devices 130 to function as a network management controller(herein referred to as network management controller 130). The networkmanagement controller 130 can use computing and communication technologyto perform function 162, which can include among other things, a faultmanagement process, configuration management process, performancemanagement process and/or security management process. Such features cancontrol rules for establishing a controlled failover or switchover ofredundant satellite communications links in response to various events,such as a detection of interference, receipt of an alarm, or the like.

It is further contemplated that multiple forms of media services can beoffered to media devices over landline technologies such as thosedescribed above. Additionally, media services can be offered to mediadevices by way of a wireless access base station 117 operating accordingto common wireless access protocols such as Global System for Mobile orGSM, Code Division Multiple Access or CDMA, Time Division MultipleAccess or TDMA, Universal Mobile Telecommunications or UMTS, Worldinteroperability for Microwave or WiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR,Long Term Evolution or LTE, and so on. Other present and next generationwide area wireless network technologies are contemplated by the subjectdisclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 200employing an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network architecture tofacilitate the combined services of circuit-switched and packet-switchedsystems. Communication system 200 can be overlaid or operably coupledwith communication system 100 as another representative embodiment ofcommunication system 100.

Communication system 200 can comprise a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)240, a tElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) server 230, and other commonnetwork elements of an IMS network 250. The IMS network 250 canestablish communications between IMS-compliant communication devices(CDs) 201, 202, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) CDs 203, 205,and combinations thereof by way of a Media Gateway Control Function(MGCF) 220 coupled to a PSTN network 260. The MGCF 220 need not be usedwhen a communication session involves IMS CD to IMS CD communications. Acommunication session involving at least one PSTN CD may utilize theMGCF 220.

IMS CDs 201, 202 can register with the IMS network 250 by contacting aProxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) which communicates with aninterrogating CSCF (I-CSCF), which in turn, communicates with a ServingCSCF (S-CSCF) to register the CDs with the HSS 240. To initiate acommunication session between CDs, an originating IMS CD 201 can submita Session Initiation Protocol (SIP INVITE) message to an originatingP-CSCF 204 which communicates with a corresponding originating S-CSCF206. The originating S-CSCF 206 can submit the SIP INVITE message to oneor more application servers (ASs) 217 that can provide a variety ofservices to IMS subscribers.

For example, the application servers 217 can be used to performoriginating call feature treatment functions on the calling party numberreceived by the originating S-CSCF 206 in the SIP INVITE message.Originating treatment functions can include determining whether thecalling party number has international calling services, call IDblocking, calling name blocking, 7-digit dialing, and/or is requestingspecial telephony features (e.g., *72 forward calls, *73 cancel callforwarding, *67 for caller ID blocking, and so on). Based on initialfilter criteria (iFCs) in a subscriber profile associated with a CD, oneor more application servers may be invoked to provide various calloriginating feature services.

Additionally, the originating S-CSCF 206 can submit queries to the ENUMsystem 230 to translate an E.164 telephone number in the SIP INVITEmessage to a SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) if the terminatingcommunication device is IMS-compliant. The SIP URI can be used by anInterrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 207 to submit a query to the HSS 240 toidentify a terminating S-CSCF 214 associated with a terminating IMS CDsuch as reference 202. Once identified, the I-CSCF 207 can submit theSIP INVITE message to the terminating S-CSCF 214. The terminating S-CSCF214 can then identify a terminating P-CSCF 216 associated with theterminating CD 202. The P-CSCF 216 may then signal the CD 202 toestablish Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication services,thereby enabling the calling and called parties to engage in voiceand/or data communications. Based on the iFCs in the subscriber profile,one or more application servers may be invoked to provide various callterminating feature services, such as call forwarding, do not disturb,music tones, simultaneous ringing, sequential ringing, etc.

In some instances the aforementioned communication process issymmetrical. Accordingly, the terms “originating” and “terminating” inFIG. 2 may be interchangeable. It is further noted that communicationsystem 200 can be adapted to support video conferencing. In addition,communication system 200 can be adapted to provide the IMS CDs 201, 202with the multimedia and Internet services of communication system 100 ofFIG. 1.

If the terminating communication device is instead a PSTN CD such as CD203 or CD 205 (in instances where the cellular phone only supportscircuit-switched voice communications), the ENUM system 230 can respondwith an unsuccessful address resolution which can cause the originatingS-CSCF 206 to forward the call to the MGCF 220 via a Breakout GatewayControl Function (BGCF) 219. The MGCF 220 can then initiate the call tothe terminating PSTN CD over the PSTN network 260 to enable the callingand called parties to engage in voice and/or data communications.

It is further appreciated that the CDs of FIG. 2 can operate as wirelineor wireless devices. For example, the CDs of FIG. 2 can becommunicatively coupled to a cellular base station 221, a femtocell, aWiFi router, a DECT base unit, or another suitable wireless access unitto establish communications with the IMS network 250 of FIG. 2. Thecellular access base station 221 can operate according to commonwireless access protocols such as Global System for Mobile (GSM), CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA),Universal Mobile Telecommunications (UMTS), World interoperability forMicrowave (WiMAX), Software Defined Radio (SDR), Long Term Evolution(LTE), and so on. Other present and next generation wireless networktechnologies are contemplated by the subject disclosure. Accordingly,multiple wireline and wireless communication technologies arecontemplated for the CDs of FIG. 2.

It is further contemplated that cellular phones supporting LTE cansupport packet-switched voice and packet-switched data communicationsand thus may operate as IMS-compliant mobile devices. In thisembodiment, the cellular base station 221 may communicate directly withthe IMS network 250 as shown by the arrow connecting the cellular basestation 221 and the P-CSCF 216.

It is further understood that alternative forms of a CSCF can operate ina device, system, component, or other form of centralized or distributedhardware and/or software. Indeed, a respective CSCF may be embodied as arespective CSCF system having one or more computers or servers, eithercentralized or distributed, where each computer or server may beconfigured to perform or provide, in whole or in part, any method, step,or functionality described herein in accordance with a respective CSCF.Likewise, other functions, servers and computers described herein,including but not limited to, the HSS and ENUM server, the BGCF, and theMGCF, can be embodied in a respective system having one or morecomputers or servers, either centralized or distributed, where eachcomputer or server may be configured to perform or provide, in whole orin part, any method, step, or functionality described herein inaccordance with a respective function, server, or computer.

The network management controller 130 of FIG. 1 can be operably coupledto the second communication system 200 for purposes similar to thosedescribed above. It is further contemplated by the subject disclosurethat network management controller 130 can perform function 162.

The network management controller 130 of FIG. 1 can be operably coupledto the second communication system 200 for purposes similar to thosedescribed above. It is further contemplated by the subject disclosurethat the application server 217 can be adapted to perform function 162.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal 302 which canbe hosted by server applications operating from the computing devices130 of the communication system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. The webportal 302 can be used for managing services of communication systems100-200. A web page of the web portal 302 can be accessed by a UniformResource Locator (URL) with an Internet browser such as Microsoft'sInternet Explorer™, Mozilla's Firefox™, Apple's Safari™, or Google'sChrome™ using an Internet-capable communication device such as thosedescribed in FIGS. 1-2. The web portal 302 can be configured, forexample, to access a media processor 106 and services managed therebysuch as a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), a Video on Demand (VoD) catalog,an Electronic Programming Guide (EPG), or a personal catalog (such aspersonal videos, pictures, audio recordings, etc.) stored at the mediaprocessor 106. The web portal 302 can also be used for provisioning IMSservices described earlier, provisioning Internet services, provisioningcellular phone services, and so on.

It is contemplated by the subject disclosure that the web portal 302 canfurther be utilized to manage and provision the network 162 to adapt thenetwork as may be desired by network managers.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 400.Communication device 400 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the devices depicted in FIGS. 1-2. Thecommunication device 400 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 402 (herein transceiver 402), a user interface (UI) 404, apower supply 414, a location receiver 416, a motion sensor 418, anorientation sensor 420, and a controller 406 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 402 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, WiFi, DigitalEnhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), or cellular communicationtechnologies, just to mention a few. Cellular technologies can include,for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX,software defined radio (SDR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), as well asother next generation wireless communication technologies as they arise.The transceiver 402 can also be adapted to support circuit-switchedwireline access technologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched wirelineaccess technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, etc.), and combinationsthereof.

The UI 404 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 408 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device400. The keypad 408 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 400 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 408 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 404 can further include a display410 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 400. In anembodiment where the display 410 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 408 can be presented by way of the display 410 withnavigation features.

The display 410 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input (e.g., touch of a user's finger). Asa touch screen display, the communication device 400 can be adapted topresent a user interface with graphical user interface (GUI) elementsthat can be selected by a user with a touch of a finger. The touchscreen display 410 can be equipped with capacitive, resistive or otherforms of sensing technology to detect much surface area of a user'sfinger has been placed on a portion of the touch screen display. Thissensing information can be used control the manipulation of the GUIelements.

The UI 404 can also include an audio system 412 that utilizes commonaudio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heardonly in the proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such asspeakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system 412 can furtherinclude a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. Theaudio system 412 can also be used for voice recognition applications.The UI 404 can further include an image sensor 413 such as a chargedcoupled device (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 414 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and charging system technologies for supplying energy tothe components of the communication device 400 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. Alternatively, the charging systemcan utilize external power sources such as DC power supplied over aphysical interface such as a USB port. The location receiver 416 canutilize common location technology such as a global positioning system(GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS for identifying a location of thecommunication device 400 based on signals generated by a constellationof GPS satellites, thereby facilitating common location services such asnavigation. The motion sensor 418 can utilize motion sensing technologysuch as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or other suitable motion sensingto detect motion of the communication device 400 in three-dimensionalspace. The orientation sensor 420 can utilize orientation sensingtechnology such as a magnetometer to detect the orientation of thecommunication device 400 (North, South, West, East, combinedorientations thereof in degrees, minutes, or other suitable orientationmetrics).

The communication device 400 can use the transceiver 402 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, or other wirelessaccess points by common sensing techniques such as utilizing a receivedsignal strength indicator (RSSI) and/or a signal time of arrival (TOA)or time of flight (TOF). The controller 406 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies.

Other components not shown in FIG. 4 are contemplated by the subjectdisclosure. For instance, the communication device 400 can include areset button (not shown). The reset button can be used to reset thecontroller 406 of the communication device 400. In yet anotherembodiment, the communication device 400 can also include a factorydefault setting button positioned below a small hole in a housingassembly of the communication device 400 to force the communicationdevice 400 to re-establish factory settings. In this embodiment, a usercan use a protruding object such as a pen or paper clip tip to reachinto the hole and depress the default setting button.

The communication device 400 as described herein can operate with moreor less components described in FIG. 4. These variant embodiments arecontemplated by the subject disclosure.

The communication device 400 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media processor 106, the media devices 108, or the portablecommunication devices 116 of FIG. 1, as well as the IMS CDs 201-202 andPSTN CDs 203-205 of FIG. 2. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 400 can also represent other common devices thatcan operate in communication systems 100-200 of FIGS. 1-2 such as agaming console and a media player.

It is contemplated by the subject disclosure that the communicationdevice 400 shown in FIG. 4 or portions thereof can serve as arepresentation of one or more of the devices of communication systems100-200. It is further contemplated that the controller 406 can beadapted in various embodiments to perform the function 162.

It is contemplated by the subject disclosure that the satellite receiversystem 500 shown in FIG. 5 or portions thereof can serve as arepresentation of one or more of the devices of communication systems100-200. As part of a satellite communication system, multimediabroadcast signals are broadcast from a satellite 502. The multimediasignals broadcast from the satellite 502 within one or more of the C/Kubands, or other suitable frequency bands, are received by a satelliteearth terminal 504 a, located within a footprint on the surface of theearth of the satellite's transponder(s) carrying the intended broadcast.The satellite earth terminal 504 may contain a high gain antenna, suchas a reflector antenna, directing received signals into a feed horn. Thereceived signals are routed from the feed horn to a nearby LNB 508 a,within which they are amplified and down-converted to an intermediatefrequency. In the illustrative examples discussed herein, theintermediate frequency band is a portion of the electromagneticspectrum, generally known as the L-band, extending from about 950 MHz toabout 2,100 MHz. An L-band output signal, generally preserving thesatellite transponder signals, is routed to a receiver facility 506, forexample, at the SHO 110 (FIG. 1). In particular, the L-band output ofthe LNB can be routed from the satellite earth terminal 504 a to anearby equipment shed, using a low-loss, shielded waveguide, such as ahard-line coaxial cable assembly 510 a. At the equipment shed, theL-band radio frequency signal can be converted to an optical signal androuted over a fiber optic link 512 a to the receiver facility 506,whereupon the optical signal transported over the fiber optic network512 a is again converted back into a radio frequency L-band signal.

Also shown, is a redundant satellite earth terminal 504 b, locatedwithin the same footprint of the satellite's broadcast. The redundantsatellite earth terminal 504 b may contain a high gain antenna, a feedhorn and a nearby LNB 508 b. An L-band output signal, preserving thesatellite transponder signals is routed to the same receiver facility506. In particular, the L-band output of the LNB 508 b can be routed ina similar manner from the satellite earth terminal 504 b to a nearbyequipment shed, again using a low-loss, shielded waveguide, such as ahard-line coaxial cable assembly 510 b. At the equipment shed, theredundant L-band radio frequency signal can be converted to an opticalsignal and routed over a second fiber optic link 512 b, albeit muchlonger, to the same receiver facility 506, whereupon the optical signaltransported over the fiber optic network 512 b is once again convertedback into a redundant radio frequency L-band signal, carried in arespective coaxial cable 514 a. In at least some applications, theredundant satellite earth terminal 504 b is geographically remote fromthe first satellite earth terminal 504 a. For example, the satelliteearth terminal 504 a and the redundant satellite earth terminal 504 bare separated by more than a radio line of sight distance between them.

Each of the respective L-band satellite broadcast signals received atthe receiver facility 506 can be split, for example, using a respectivepassive splitter device 516 a, 5 a 6 b, into a group of substantiallyidentical L-band signals, e.g., sixteen such signals. Each group ofL-band signals can be coupled to a respective group of input ports of aswitch 518. The switch 518 is referred to as a 2:1, or redundancy, orfailover switch. The switch 518 selectively couples one of the groups ofsignals from a respective one of the passive splitters 516 a, 516 b, toa common output group of L-band signal ports. Thus, at any given time,only one of the groups of L-band signals from a respective one of thepassive splitters 516 a, 516 b is in electrical communication with theoutput group of L-band signal ports. In at least some embodiments, theswitch 518 has a control input that can be driven by a controller, suchas a network management controller 520.

Each L-band output port of the switch 518 can be coupled to a respectiveintegrated receiver and decoder device 522 of a bank of such devices522. The integrated receiver decoder devices 522, generally down convertthe L-band radio frequency signal and otherwise decode it to obtainbaseband data. Each one of the bank of integrated receiver and decoderdevices 522 can be used to obtain digital information from a respectiveone of the satellite transponders. The transponders can broadcastsignals that are tens of MHz wide. For example, each decoded transpondersignal might include 5 or 6 high-definition video streams, or 12 to 15standard definition video streams. Additional multiplexing can beapplied, for example, to extract one or more streams from each of thetransponder signals.

In at least some embodiments, a multiplexer 524 or similar switching orreconfiguration device is coupled between the L-band output ports of theswitch 518 and the bank of integrated receiver and decoder devices 522.Such a multiplexer 524 can also be operated under the control of thenetwork management controller 520. Thus, the network managementcontroller 520 can control which satellite earth terminal 504 a, 504 bis being used for signal reception at the receiver facility 506, and howthe split L-band signals are interconnected or otherwise routed torespective ones of the bank of integrated receiver and decoder devices522.

Operation of the failover switch 518 can be undertaken for any of anumber of different reasons, generally to ensure as little or nointerruption to data service to end users or subscribers of themultimedia content. For example, satellite earth terminals requireoccasional scheduled maintenance. During such periods of maintenance atone of the satellite earth terminal 504 a, the switch can be operated toobtain satellite signals from the redundant satellite earth terminal 504b. Such a pre-scheduled switchover can be accomplished during periods oflower viewer activity, and preferably coincident with an event, suchbetween programs, or aligned with data frames, so as to minimize anyinterruption to the end users.

Alternatively or in addition, the 2:1 switch 518 can be operated to makea similar change between the satellite earth terminal 504 a and theredundant satellite earth terminal 504 b for unscheduled operationalreasons. An example of such a reason might include weather at onesatellite earth terminal 504 a reducing a link margin and leading to areduction in a ratio of energy per bit to noise power spectral density(E_(b)/N₀). Due to the geographical separation, the same weather may notbe affecting the other satellite earth terminal 504 b. In thissituation, a switch to the redundant satellite earth terminal 504 bshould restore or otherwise maintain reliable delivery of multimediaservice. Still other reasons may relate to hardware issues or asatellite earth terminal's position within the transponder footprint.Such issues may result in a reduction of received signal amplitude,otherwise compromising E_(b)/N₀ performance. In each of these scenarios,the network management controller 520 can impose a switchover, forexample, upon scheduled events and/or upon monitoring degradation toE_(b)/N₀. It should be noted, however, that such events requiring anunscheduled switchover typically result from a reduction in the receivedsignal energy of the intended signal(s).

Also shown in FIG. 5, is a source of interfering electromagnetic energy526 residing within the general vicinity of the satellite earth terminal504 a (e.g., within radio line of sight). For example, the source canresult from an unrelated terrestrial communication link. To the extentthat the shielding and interconnections of the hard-line coaxial cableassembly of the first communications link are functioning properly, thecable shielding should provide sufficient protection to prevent ingressof the interfering electromagnetic energy 526. However, to the extentthat the hard-line coaxial cable assembly 510 a has been compromised inany way, for example, by having a loose connector, a cut shield,corrosion, or water ingress, such compromises may allow ingress of theinterfering electromagnetic energy 526 into the intermediate frequency,e.g., L-band, communications link. Depending upon characteristics of theingress of the interferer 124, its presence within the communicationlink can lead to perceived errors by the end users, without necessarilyleading to a reduction in E_(b)/N₀.

Referring next to FIG. 6, a spectral representation 600 of an exampledown-converted L-band signal is shown. The signal includes a number ofadjacent, non-overlapping signal spectra 602 a, 602 b, 602 c, 602 d and602 e (generally 602), resulting from contributions of individualtransponders of the satellite 502 (FIG. 5). Also represented are twointerfering signals 604 and 606 resulting from ingress of unintendedsignals into the L-band communications link. A first one of theinterfering signals 604 is centered at a frequency F₁, and may resultfrom a fundamental frequency of the interfering electromagnetic energy526 (FIG. 5). For example, the first interfering signal might resultfrom one of the LightSquared broadcast signals at one of the two centerfrequencies: 5 L/10 L centered around established frequencies of 1528MHz and 5 H/10 H centered around 1552 MHz. If the interferingelectromagnetic energy 526 is strong enough, it is possible that one ormore of the interfering signals 604, 606 may result from harmonics,triple beat products, or other non-linear interference, that may occurat unpredictable frequencies, e.g., F₂.

Referring again to FIG. 5, an interference monitoring module 528 a iscoupled to an output port of the first passive splitter 516 a, receivinga respective sample of the intermediate frequency, L-band signalobtained from the satellite earth terminal 504 a through the firstcommunications link, which includes the hard-line coaxial cable 510 a,the fiber optic link 512 a and any intervening components up to an inputport of the interference monitoring module 528 a. In at least someembodiments, an output of the interference monitoring module 528 a isrouted to an alarm module 530. The alarm module can be configured togenerate an alarm responsive to detecting unintended signals within thefirst communications link that would be likely to interfere withintended L-band signals. For example, an alarm level can be establishedaccording to an absolute amplitude of the detected unintended signal604, 606 (FIG. 6), a relative amplitude of the detected unintendedsignal 604, 606 in comparison to another signal or noise level, or someother attribute of the detected unintended signal 604, 606, such as itsspectral energy, bandwidth, etc. Different alarms can be established fordifferent scenarios. For example, alarm conditions can be categorized as“minor,” “major,” and “critical,” depending upon one or more of theamplitude, frequency, and number of detected unintended signals 604,606.

One or more of the interference monitoring module 528 a and the alarmmodule 530 can be coupled to or otherwise in communication with thenetwork management controller 520. The network management controller520, in turn, can be programmed or otherwise configured to interpretsuch inputs and respond accordingly. An example of a response mightinclude providing a network management notification as to a detection ofa minor alarm, without a failover reconfiguration. In response to amajor or critical alarm, the network management controller 520 can senda signal to the redundancy switch 518, inducing a failoverreconfiguration from one satellite earth terminal 504 a to another 504b. It is important to note that such a failover can occur not fromdetecting a drop in signal strength or E_(b)/N₀, but from in increasedsignal energy resulting from the presence of unintended signals withinthe L-band resulting from ingress into the communication link. Withsufficient geographic separation between earth terminals 504 a, 54 b, itis unlikely that the same interfering electromagnetic energy 526 wouldbe present at the other terminal. Even if it were, the interferencelikely resulted from a defect of some sort, which would not necessarilyexist at the alternate earth terminal.

In some embodiments, the network management controller 520 can beprogrammed or otherwise configured to generate a maintenance notice upondetection of such a failover. The maintenance notice can includeparticulars related to the failover event, such as the time, date, alarmtype, signal strength, signal frequency, etc. Such information would behelpful to assist with correcting a compromised communication link.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example embodiment of an interference monitoringmodule 700. The interference monitoring module 700 includes an inputport 701 in communication with the sample port of the passive signalsplitter 516 a (FIG. 5). A sample obtained at the sample port is coupledto a frequency selector module 702. The frequency selector module 702can include one or more filters, such as one or more of a notch filter,a low-pass filter, a high-pass filter, and a band-pass filter. Thefilters can be constructed from any suitable technology, such as lumpedelements, microstrip circuits, surface acoustic wave devices, and thelike. In some embodiments, it is envisioned that the obtained samplestream can be converted to a digital stream, for example, using ananalog-to-digital converter. In such scenarios, filtering and othersignal processing as may be advantageous within the interferencemonitoring module 700, can be accomplished using digital signalprocessing techniques.

In some embodiments, the frequency selector module 702 is fixed tuned toone or more frequencies, such as established frequencies of a knowninterference source 528, e.g., F₁, F₂ (FIG. 6). Such fixed tunedtechniques can be advantageous to detect ingress as may result fromcompromise to the communications link. Alternatively or in addition, thefrequency selector can be tunable. For example, the frequency selectorcan include one or more well established signal processing techniques totune among more than one frequency. In some embodiments, such a tunablefrequency selector 702 can be configured to tune across a substantialportion of the L-band spectral bandwidth, e.g., 900 MHz to 1,200 MHz, ata tuning step size, e.g., 0.5 MHz. Such a tunable configuration would beadvantageous in tracking unknown sources of interference in addition toknown sources, for example, resulting from non-linear effects includingharmonics, triple beats, inter-modulation, spurious emissions, and thelike.

An output of the frequency selector module 702 can be provided to adetector circuit 704. For example, the detector module 704 can be apower detector, such as a square law detector. In the illustrativeembodiment, an alarm module 706 is included within the interferencemonitoring module and in communication with the detector module 704,obviating any need for a separate alarm module 530, as discussed abovein relation to FIG. 5. In at least some embodiments, one or more of thefrequency selector module 702, the detector module 704 and the alarmmodule 706 are contained within a shielded enclosure 708.

Shielding performance of such a shielded enclosure 708 can beestablished according to a specified shielding rating. Such shieldingwould be advantageous to avoid contamination of L-band samples obtainedfrom the communication link. For example, the shielded enclosure 708 canbe configured, through acceptable practices known to those skilled inthe art of mitigating electromagnetic interference, to provide aspecified isolation or shielding profile across a range of frequencies.Such isolation preferably attenuates the coupling of radiatedelectromagnetic energy from any interfering signals, such as thoseresulting from interference sources within the L-band, to the detectormodule 704. Preferably, any coupling of such interfering signals throughthe shielded enclosure 708 would be attenuated below a minimumdetectable interference signal level to ensure that the detector module704 is able to discern detected interference within the first or secondcommunication links from radiated ambient interference present at thedetector module 704.

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative process 800 that operates in portions ofthe devices of FIGS. 1-7. The process 800 can begin with step 802 inwhich broadcast and redundant broadcast signals are received. Suchsignal can include the intermediate frequency (i.e., L-band) signalsreceived at the receiver site 506 from each of the satellite earthterminal 504 a and the redundant satellite earth terminal 504 b (FIG.5). The received broadcast signal can be decoded and distributed at step804. For example, the received L-band signal received by the firstcommunications link can be divided by the passive splitter 516 a (FIG.5), and routed to an appropriate number of the integrated receiver anddecoder devices 522. Outputs from the integrated receiver and decoderdevices 522 can be distributed through an appropriate communicationsnetwork such as those disclosed herein in relation to FIGS. 1-4. Thiscould be considered a normal operation scenario.

At step 806, at least a portion of the bandwidth of the firstcommunications link carrying an intermediate frequency of the broadcastsignal is monitored for any interference, such as determined by presenceof an unintended signals. As long as no interference is detected at step808, monitoring continues under normal operations. However, upon thedetection of interference at step 808, the broadcast signal issubstituted with the redundant broadcast signal. For example, theredundancy switch 518 (FIG. 5) redirects redundant broadcast signalsfrom the second passive splitter 516 b to the bank of integratedreceiver decoder devices 522. After the failover, the integratedreceiver and decoder devices 522 decode and distribute the broadcastsignal at step 812 to reestablish normal operations using the redundantbroadcast signal. Since the broadcast signal and the redundant broadcastsignal are substantially the same, distribution of multimedia streamsobtained from the satellite is maintained in a relatively seamlessmanner.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope andspirit of the claims described below. For example, instead of satellitesignals, interference monitoring and redundancy can be provided forvirtually any electromagnetic communications circuit, such asterrestrial communications. Also, the particular signal frequency bands,such as L-band operation for the intermediate frequency are provided asillustrative examples only, and in no way limit application of thetechniques disclosed herein to other signals, and other frequency rangesof operation. Other embodiments are contemplated by the subjectdisclosure.

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 900 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods discussed above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as one or more of the alarm module 530, 706, thenetwork management controller 520, the media processor 106 and otherdevices of FIGS. 1-7. In some embodiments, the machine may be connected(e.g., using a network) to other machines. In a networked deployment,the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client usermachine in server-client user network environment, or as a peer machinein a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 900 may include a processor 902 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a mainmemory 904 and a static memory 906, which communicate with each othervia a bus 908. The computer system 900 may further include a videodisplay unit 910 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel, ora solid state display. The computer system 900 may include an inputdevice 912 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 914 (e.g., amouse), a disk drive unit 916, a signal generation device 918 (e.g., aspeaker or remote control) and a network interface device 920.

The disk drive unit 916 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 922 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 924) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 924 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 904, the static memory 906, and/or within theprocessor 902 during execution thereof by the computer system 900. Themain memory 904 and the processor 902 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 622 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) are contemplatedfor use by computer system 900.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated toachieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodimentsshown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations orvariations of various embodiments. Combinations of the aboveembodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein,are contemplated by the subject disclosure.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a processing systemincluding a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructionsthat, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance ofoperations, comprising: monitoring an intermediate frequency bandwidthoccupied by a down-converted satellite signal over a first time intervaland a second time interval, wherein a first signal energy within theintermediate frequency bandwidth is determined over the first timeinterval, and wherein a second signal energy within the intermediatefrequency bandwidth is determined over the second time interval;detecting interference within the intermediate frequency bandwidth inresponse to determining the second signal energy is greater than thefirst signal energy; identifying an alarm condition based on theinterference; and substituting the down-converted satellite signal witha redundant down-converted satellite signal according to the alarmcondition.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the detecting theinterference comprises: identifying an interference signal within theintermediate frequency bandwidth; and determining that an absoluteamplitude of the interference signal is above a threshold.
 3. The deviceof claim 1, wherein the detecting the interference comprises:identifying an interference signal within the intermediate frequencybandwidth; and determining a relative amplitude of the interferencesignal compared to the down-converted satellite signal exceeds athreshold.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the detecting theinterference comprises: identifying an interference signal within theintermediate frequency bandwidth; and determining a relative amplitudeof the interference signal compared to a noise level exceeds athreshold.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the detecting theinterference comprises: identifying an interference signal within theintermediate frequency bandwidth; and determining an attribute of theinterference signal.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the identifyingthe alarm condition comprises identifying the alarm condition based onthe attribute.
 7. The device of claim 5, wherein the attribute is one ofspectral energy, bandwidth, signal strength, a signal to noise ratio. 8.The device of claim 1, wherein the alarm condition is indicated as oneof minor, major, and critical.
 9. A machine readable storage medium,comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processingsystem including a processor, facilitate performance of operations,comprising: monitoring an intermediate frequency bandwidth occupied by adown-converted satellite signal over a first time period and a secondtime period, wherein a first signal energy within the intermediatefrequency bandwidth is determined over the first time period, andwherein a second signal energy within the intermediate frequencybandwidth is determined over the second time period; identifying aninterference signal within the intermediate frequency bandwidth inresponse to determining the second signal energy is greater than thefirst signal energy; determining an alarm condition according to theinterference signal; and substituting the down-converted satellitesignal with a redundant down-converted satellite signal according to thealarm condition.
 10. The machine readable storage medium of claim 9,wherein the identifying the interference signal comprises determiningthat an absolute amplitude of the interference signal is above athreshold.
 11. The machine readable storage medium of claim 9, whereinthe identifying the interference signal comprises determining a relativeamplitude of the interference signal compared to the down-convertedsatellite signal exceeds a threshold.
 12. The machine readable storagemedium of claim 9, wherein the identifying the interference signalcomprises determining a relative amplitude of the interference signalcompared to a noise level exceeds a threshold.
 13. The machine readablestorage medium of claim 9, wherein the identifying the interferencesignal comprises determining an attribute of the interference signal.14. The machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein theidentifying the alarm condition comprises identifying the alarmcondition based on the attribute.
 15. A method, comprising: monitoring,by a processing system including a processor, an intermediate frequencybandwidth occupied by a down-converted satellite signal; identifying, bythe processing system, an interference signal within the intermediatefrequency bandwidth in response to determining a first signal energyover a first time interval is greater than a second signal energy over asecond time interval; determining, by the processing system, an alarmcondition based on the interference signal; and substituting, by theprocessing system, the down-converted satellite signal with a redundantdown-converted satellite signal according to the alarm condition. 16.The method of claim 15, comprising determining, by the processingsystem, that an absolute amplitude of the interference signal is above athreshold.
 17. The method of claim 15, comprising determining, by theprocessing system, a relative amplitude of the interference signalcompared to the down-converted satellite signal exceeds a threshold. 18.The method of claim 15, comprising determining, by the processingsystem, a relative amplitude of the interference signal compared to anoise level exceeds a threshold.